Moved a lot of deer going into the dry woods , predawn. Hooves pounding the hard dry ground ,and crunching of leaves and snapping twigs as they moved out ahead of me . Being quiet was impossible without getting in the woods 2 hours early and moving like a snail ,,,with no light in hand too. I guess a feller needs some of those high quality hand made moccasins for the entry stage of dry weather hunting . Didn't hear any birds but did see some old sign . The mast crop is near explosive . Walking the two tracks is like walking on soybeans on concrete . Crunchy and poor footing . No doubt in my mind that turkeys and deer alike are NOT searching for food at this time ,,,,,in southern Ohio anyway .

Early afternoon I went to a different area and strapped on my newly designed prototype GroundHunters Pack. This particular artea is most familiar to me due to so much spring and fall hunting here for the past 6 years . I hit the deer trail that will lead me to the top of the break . Once I cleared the creek and all the ground litter it was cedars the rest of the way . A fine carpet of moss covers the ground making any movement totally silent . 4 - 5 stepps and stop . On this way to where I wanted to be . I hadn't gone 50 yards into the cedars when I found smokin' hot buck scat in the trail . He was walking as he dropped his load . I no doubt had got him up and pushed him out . But , somethings can't be helped and there's plenty of deer in the area

Upon reaching my spot I shucked the pack and got out the pruners for some slow motion trimming of cedar limbs . Then got out the rattlin' horns and grunt call. Flipped the pack upside down and leaned the padded frame against the cedar for a soft seat that will allow me to draw and shoot the 64'' recurve . The steady , but swirling breeze was a bit of a nuisance but I stayed there for two hours , grunting on three ocassions and rattlin' twice . Not hing showed . No surprise to me . It was in the 70's and I suspect the deer were all tucked away in some thicket with shade . But , it was good to be out , as always .To visit the familiar woods that has given so much education and pure fun. I didn't hunt today due to the stiff winds blowing here . So I repaired some arrows and shot a few also . This is something new to me ,, that is , being liad off and drawing unemployment in the fall. I was laid off once before ,,,,,28 years ago , when I wore a young mans clothes .

Keep after 'em Mark. Glad to hear you are making the most of your free time.

This is the latest in the season I've gone without having at least one deer in the freezer by now in several years. Of course, the last time I started late, I was rewarded with one of my top 10 lifetime bucks, patience always wins. There are loads of acorns in the woods here right now too. Gonna be a cold winter I guess.

It sure is nice to hunt familiar territory and know where to expect to see deer & turkeys and to be able to get around in the dark without a light. I found a new tree to hunt out of on Saturday that had a few limbs in the way. I took my stand there to trim those limbs in the rain. My scent was washed away by the rain and next time I go to that tree, it will be with crossbow in hand ready to let the air out of one.

On my way back towards the house, a jake crossed the road in front of me during a lull between showers. I think he was taunting me. Spring is getting closer every day if nothing else.